Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Singing the New Translation in Chicago and Cincinnati

Good Wednesday to you all. It is a crisp and clear morning here in Cincinnati (actually I am at an airport hotel, which is in northern Kentucky).

The reading session last night went quite well. We were in a good acoustic space; Incarnation church in Centerville, Ohio. Here is a photo of the exterior:

The people in attendance were good sight readers and wonderful singers. We sang through many of the various parts of WLP's new and revised musical settings of the Mass. I jumped back and forth between the organ and the piano. It was great to show people how versatile these settings are. The Archdiocese has a marvelous plan for musicians. They have invited each publisher (GIA, OCP, and WLP) in for a reading session. A group of musicians from the Archdiocese will then sift through all of the settings, then there will be another session where what they determine as the "best" settings will be presented to all musicians. The musicians were assured last night that this in no way was a determinant for every parish; parishes are free to sing any setting they choose; this is just meant as a guide.

The day before, on Monday afternoon, WLP presented a similar reading session for musicians in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Here's a photo of that event, taken at Saint John de Brebeuf church in Niles, Illinois.

As much as I am frustrated by the whole translation process (see previous posts), I find myself getting much more rooted (and a little excited) when spending time with parish musicians. I know that they have mixed feelings about the new translation, but they are sharing an excitement about learning, teaching, and singing the new settings. This group of people gives me the most hope as we move forward. You can see and hear our new and revised Mass settings over at Sing the New Mass.

Thank you for your comments in recent days. I want to assure you that I love this Church; saints and sinners that we are.

3 comments:

Thanks for your witness of perseverance and courage in the face of these troubling reports. I thank God for faithful Catholics like you who just want to love God, love the Church, and share that love with the world. Keep up the good work, Jerry!

Jerry, YOU should be a Bishop. OR, at least, give leadership lessons to the Bishops of the United States who have been incredibly quiet on this important subject. The Priests I've talked to have resigned themselves to putting on a "happy face" about the missal because they feel powerless and don't want to stir the pot with their "boss" (Bishop). "Silence equals death."

About Me and the Blog

Dr. Jerry Galipeau is Vice President and Chief Publishing Officer at J. S. Paluch Company and its music and liturgy division, World Library Publications, located in Franklin Park, Illinois.
Jerry presents keynotes and workshops throughout the United States and Canada on the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, liturgical spirituality, ritual music, evangelization, and adult spiritual formation. He earned the Doctor of Ministry with a concentration in liturgical studies from Catholic Theological Union at Chicago in 1999.
Gotta Sing Gotta Pray is Jerry's blog in which he shares reflections on current events in the Church and in the world that may be of particular interest to those serving the Church.